One of my favorite things is mailboxes covered with flowering vines or small shrubs…. my most favorite is our own state flower on top of mailboxes…the yellow jessamine vine. It is very popular this time of the year and it makes plain mailboxes pop!

Since lantana grows easily here in the lowcountry…(like Mandy’s purple lantana around her mailbox)…it is another obvious choice for mailbox decorators.

Another of my favorite things are gates silhouetted by mother nature at her best. (John and Mandy’s gate leading out to the water)

You already know nooks and crannies lure me like the sirens of old…but also a lone little (very little) daffodil did the same thing. *(Doodle just texted me saying my photo I sent her (below) was probably a jonquil if it was small… and it is really tiny) It struggled to open against all the odds…what a persevering little champion for life.

Anne and I planted dozens and dozens of daffodil bulbs about three years ago…the first year they bloomed beautifully, the next year…not so much so, pretty straggly…and this year they didn’t flower at all. Except for this late, very late little bloom starting to open yesterday. What a trooper!

I looked up the various reasons why daffodils don’t flower and they ranged from lack of sun to too much fertilizer/nitrates or planting too late or too early…too hot or too cold at the wrong time…”sometimes dirt and mulch build up and they’re so deep they won’t bloom” – in other words…if your daffodils are blooming just be thankful and don’t analyze the situation.

*However I am growing rather fond of my patches of daffodil stems too…as long as they are standing…there is always hope something still might happen…miracle believer.

I can relate to my little jonquil…it is definitely blooming late after all the other daffodils have come and gone…but don’t we all have the opportunity to bloom at any time in our lives…we just don’t have to do everything at the same time as everyone else. Late bloomers are the most appreciative of their accomplishment; more so, I believe, than the earlier bloomers who just took their success for granted.

And speaking of blooming…my grandchildren are growing way too quickly…my youngest grandson, Lachlan, turns four today. (Our St. Patrick Day’s baby) There was a family party for him given late Friday afternoon by mom and dad and I was so happy to be surrounded by all my children and their children (dog children included.) It had been awhile since we have all been together…Walsh and I have decided we need to work on gathering (at least) once a month…especially in those months where we don’t have a family celebration on the calendar.

Lachlan’s party….It involved construction of a four-layered garage for Hot Wheel cars (Thanks John for putting that thing together), a dinosaur board game and all kinds of sports cards to get Lachlan his equipment to play soccer this spring. The best part was lots of hugs!

Load’em up…the St. Patty’s Day neighborhood romp was about to start…but they did have to end it a little early because of the “no see’ums!” Ouch!

While the older children went for a ride with Uncle Woo and Aunt Mandy…Eloise decided she had had enough partying…she took off on her own for a little peace and quiet.

The week actually flew by….Wednesday we took the children to Vickery’s on Shem Creek and then let them walk the long pier out to the end…beautiful views. And lots of giant “crabs” along the way!

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About Becky Dingle

I was born a Tarheel but ended up a Sandlapper. My grandparents
were cotton farmers in Laurens, South Carolina and it was in my
grandmother’s house that my love of storytelling began beside an old
Franklin stove. When I graduated from Laurens High School, I attended
Erskine College (Due West of what?) and would later get my Masters
Degree in Education/Social Studies from Charleston Southern. I am
presently an adjunct professor/clinical supervisor at CSU and have also
taught at the College of Charleston.
For 28 years I taught Social Studies through storytelling. My philosophy
matched Rudyard Kipling’s quote: “If history were taught in the form of
stories, it would never be forgotten.” Today I still spread this message
through workshops and presentations throughout the state. The secret
of success in teaching social studies is always in the story.
I want to keep learning and being surprised by life…it is the greatest
teacher. Like Kermit said, “When you’re green you grow, when you’re
ripe you rot.”

About that daffodil and yes I think it is. I was once told by someone that knows plants that the difference is … jonquils have guill leaves ( round like a quill) and daffodils are flat leaves. See…once we know we can see the difference.
Birthday parties are just the best fun. And our grands are growing up a lightning speed. I don’t remember my own children growing this fast.

Interesting…will have to remember that….never knew….but whatever it is…it is a flower after my own heart…perseverance! I agree with thinking that the time with my children had some long stretches in it…and the grandchildren not so much…but then as we get older everything seems to move faster except ourselves! 🙂